Preparation Begins At Home

M AY / J U N E 2 0 1 2

Mankind has devised numerous ways to carry what

is important to them. We have pocketbooks, purses,

wallets, backpacks, knapsacks, totes, baskets, cool-

ers, lunch boxes, shoe boxes, tackle boxes, diaper

bags, saddle bags, grocery bags, doggie bags, briefcas-

es, suitcases, lockets, pocket watches, cat carriers,

baby carriers, baby strollers, bikes, wagons, wheelbar-

rows, and wheelchairs. We can be very creative when

it comes to toting things around.

As we are packing and planning our emergency

backpacks, we need to be mindful of those things

that the medical experts feel are important and

necessary for our physical survival in case we must

leave our homes. But wouldn’t it be nice if we could

pack a special pocket of spiritual things in our hearts

in the same way we pack the physical things in our

packs? Instead of a pillow for our head, we would

pack “peace” so we could lay down in peace at night.

Instead of a compass, we would carry the “knowl-

edge” of the word of God, so we would always know

which way to go. Instead of a flashlight, we would

walk by “faith” knowing that God would go before us.

Instead of a knife, we would use the “Spirit” to help

us cut to the heart of a matter and discern what was

right and true. Instead of salves and ointments for our

blisters and wounds, we would pack “repentance” and

“forgiveness.” Instead of Band-Aids and dressings, we

would pack “mercy” and “kindness.” Instead of food,

we would feed on God’s word and His goodness to

bring our hearts and minds into a state of “righteous-

ness” and “truth.” Instead of water, we would drink

in God’s “love.” Instead of games and toys, we would

pack “joy.” We wouldn’t want to forget any of God’s

good gifts—we would want to weave them into the

fabric of our heart’s “backpack.” Our spiritual experts

have been very particular in the things that are most

essential to our spiritual survival. Have we heeded

their advice?

When God created man and woman, He gave them

a spirit and clothed it with a body, or physical home,

that they could move with them wherever they went.

But as God prepared a home for them in the garden,

He gave them a special gift that went beyond just

a place to live. He talked with them each day, and

gave them the gift of HIS PRESENCE. When they were

cast out, they lost more than just their home. They

lost their ability to see and hear the Lord their God.

No longer would they be able to walk with Him in

the cool of the day with no distractions. Now their

sorrows would be multiplied, their burdens would

become great and they would no longer have the

presence of the Lord to bring them peace. All that

they did would be done with great effort on their

part. They would now have to provide their own

shelter, their own clothing and their own food. Their

time would be taken up with just surviving instead of

enjoying and basking in all that the Lord had created.

They would be separated from HIM. How long will we

continue to separate ourselves from HIM?

The children of Israel were led by Moses out of

Egypt and out of captivity; they moved into the desert

and camped in tents. When they were instructed to

build God a Tabernacle in the wilderness, they essen-

tially built Him a tent. A tent is merely a portable

this issue

Preparation Begins at Home 1

Recipe of the Month 1

Resource Team Spotlights 3

Sanitation Tips 3

Coming Events 4

Want Ads 4

Recipe of the Month

Canned Tomato &Green Pepper SalsaYield: 3 Pints

• 3 cups peeled, cored,

chopped tomatoes

• 3 cups seeded, chopped long

green peppers

• ¾ cup chopped onions

• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded

and finely chopped

• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 1½ cups vinegar (5 percent)

• ½ teaspoon ground cumin

• 2 teaspoons oregano leaves

• 1½ teaspoons salt

Caution: Wear plastic or rubber

gloves and do not touch your face

while handling or cutting hot

peppers. If you do not wear

gloves, wash hands thoroughly

with soap and water before

touching your face or eyes.

Hot Pack: Combine all ingredients

in a large saucepan and heat,

stirring frequently, until mixture

boils. Reduce heat and simmer for

20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Ladle hot into clean, hot jars,

leaving ½-inch headspace. Remove

air bubbles and adjust headspace

if needed. Wipe rims of jars with

a dampened, clean paper towel;

apply two-piece metal canning

lids. Process in a boiling water

canner according to the

recommendations.

1

“home” that you can move with you wher-

ever you go. It is not the type of building

materials or the decorations and furniture

that makes it a home, but what takes

place within. Our home is a reflection of

our heart and what we value. Many of the

Israelite people murmured and complained

because their hearts were more concerned

with the past and what they had lost, rath-

er than with the future and what it might

hold. Can we trust God with our future?

The scriptures tell us of a family who

left their home in Bethlehem to escape a

famine in Judah. Elimelech and Naomi took

their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, to the

country of Moab, and while they were in

this strange land Mahlon married Ruth and

Chilion married Orpah. After 10 years, all

three men died. By this time, the famine

in Judah had ended, so Naomi decided to

return to her original home. She thanked

her daughters-in-law for their kindnesses,

and released them from caring for her, tell-

ing them to return to their own mother’s

houses. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law

and left, but Ruth said, “Entreat me not

to leave thee, or to return from following

after thee; for whither thou goest, I will

go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge;

thy people shall be my people, and thy God

my God. Where thou diest, will I die, and

there will I be buried; the Lord do so to

me, and more also, if aught but death part

thee and me.”

Ruth was blessed by God for remaining

faithful and true to Him and to Naomi. But

Naomi was blessed, also. She had wanted

to give herself the name Mara, which

means “bitter”, because she thought the

Lord had dealt very bitterly with her in

taking away her husband and two sons. She

did not know at the time what the Lord had

in store for her. After Ruth married Naomi’s

kinsman, Boaz, she bore a son to replace

and redeem all that Naomi had lost. And

Naomi was told that Ruth was better than

seven sons. How far did the Lord have to

take Naomi to find a daughter-in-law that

was better than seven sons? Can we say to

the Lord, “ Entreat me not to leave thee,

or to return from following after thee; for

whither thou goest, I will go; and where

thou lodgest, I will lodge;

thy people shall be my

people, and thy God my

God.” Can we trust the

Lord to lead us and guide

us in times of famine and

death, and to restore unto

us all that we might lose?

God is our Creator AND our Redeemer and

Restorer.

Here we have three examples of people

leaving their homes: the first was because

of a desire for sin, the second was because

of a desire for freedom, and the third was

because of a desire for a new beginning.

In the midst of the Garden of Eden, we

find the true source of life and freedom

and new beginnings: GOD HIMSELF. In the

middle of the camp of the Israelites, in

the midst of the Tabernacle of God, in the

center of a special carrier, we find the

words of the Covenant of GOD. In the midst

of each of our homes, we are to build a

special altar honoring our GOD. And in the

midst of each our hearts, we are to carry

the Words of our GOD. If we value our cov-

enant with GOD, that covenant will literally

occupy the central place in our lives, both

spiritually and physically.

In each of our hearts there is a

recognition that we are not truly “home.”

We have a yearning for something better.

We have a desire and a longing for that

which we have lost. When we come back

into the presence of the Lord, we find what

we are looking for: that sense of comfort

and peace that comes from Him. We belong

to Him, and in Him we find our “home.”

Anything else is just a replica

of that original home. We

all constantly long for that

home, and try to imitate it

in our lives. We try to bring

order from chaos, and peace

from all our distractions

and labors. But no matter

whether our home is a beautiful garden,

a comfortable abode with four walls, a

portable tent, or even just a backpack, we

need to take our God and His spiritual gifts

with us. Our children need to know that

the number one thing we do to prepare

for an emergency is the same thing as the

number one thing we do to prepare for

eternity—cleave unto the Lord Jesus Christ,

and love Him with all our heart, might,

mind and strength.

From second Nephi chapter 11, verse 48

we read: “And we talk of Christ, we rejoice

in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy

of Christ, and we write according to our

prophecies, that our children may know to

Don’t forget to fast and pray for the Neighborhood Groups of Zion on the third Thursday of each month.

“Let us prepare

for HIS true home

that exists only in

HIS PRESENCE...”

2

what source they may look for a remission of

their sins.”

We should be talking about Christ, and

thinking about Christ, and reading about

Christ, and taking notes about Christ, and

sharing about Christ, and singing about

Christ, and praying about Christ, and look-

ing forward to Christ, and serving Christ and

most of all, loving Christ. Our lives should

be so saturated with Christ and all that He

stands for, that there is no more room for

anything else. Our “homes,” no matter what

or where they are, should be so full of the

Spirit of the Lord, that the evil one can NOT

have sway in the hearts of men, women, or

children.

When we talk of Emergency Preparedness,

perhaps we should also talk of Eternal

Preparedness. One has no meaning without

the other. When the question is asked, “If I

have to leave my home, where will I go?”

perhaps the greater question will also be

asked, “If I have to leave my earthly home,

where will I go?” God has a place prepared

for us. Not just a place in heaven after we

die, but also a place here on earth, even

Zion: a place of Holiness that He will sanc-

tify and cleanse to make it worthy of HIS

PRESENCE. Are we willing to prepare our

lives to be there? We need to make the

proper spiritual preparation for ourselves,

our families and our friends. We cannot let

our physical preparations take precedence

over our spiritual preparations. One is infi-

nitely more valueable and important. As we

put the Lord first, we will become like HIM

and will be a reflection of HIM. His love will

radiate out from our very beings, and our

neighbors will be drawn to HIM.

When Jesus walked the earth, He told His

disciples that the foxes had holes, and the

birds of the air had nests, but the son of man

had not where to lay his head. He wasn’t

trying to say that he had no place to sleep.

He was trying to explain that HIS true home

did not yet exist on earth. HIS Kingdom was

not yet established, and HIS righteousness

was not yet in the hearts of men. Let us

work with our Master in preparing a place

where He CAN lay His head. Let us pre-

pare for HIS true home that exists only in

HIS PRESENCE by preparing our hearts and

homes. ■

Canning Activities

Neighborhood group members met at Lunch

Partners on Tuesday, May 8th and canned 60

quarts of carrots. Kudos!! The committee

headed by Esther Goodrich plans on

continuing this effort throughout the

summer as NGZ member gardens produce

comes available. Anyone that would like to

share in this effort or who might have good

recipes to share for canning please notify

Esther at eaglewatcher@netzero.net.

Urban Farm Outing

Members of the NGZ took a field trip in

April to see and learn about urban farming.

The Gardening Committee, headed by Dawn

Hoover and Lois Romer, had a very informative

and lovely display at the Emergency Fair and

we want to thank them whole-heartedly for

their hard work in preparing the display which

helped to make the fair a great success. If

anyone needs suggestions for your gardening

this summer, please contact Dawn or Lois.

Resource Team Spotlights

3

Sanitation Tips

Simple short-term items to have on hand

in case of a temporary loss of water and

water pressure would be a camping

port-a-potty or a commode that could be

kept in a garage or outbuilding. These can

be lined with waste bags and kitty litter

can be added to waste to help control

odor. Bags with a gel that breaks down

waste are available through several differ-

ent emergency providers and at Walmart.

Make sure to have plenty of hand sanitizer

and disinfectants on hand to maintain

good sanitary procedures in your home.

Suggestions for long-term sanitary needs

will be offered at upcoming events.

COMING EVENTS

• The next All-Groups Sunday Meeting will be in June. The date will be

announced.

• The next Preparedness Fair is planned for August 25th at the Gathering

place from 9am-2pm. More valuable information and various mini-classes

will be offered on water storage, sanitation, food storage/preservation,

gardening, first-aid etc.

• Bug-Out Bash: October date to be announced! This will be a chance to

test our preparation skills and use our 94-hour packs in a camp-out setting

for 24 hours. We look forward to some fun, learning, and spiritual sharing.

This activity could be a great time to get to know the people from your

neighborhood groups better and to discuss what you may have to share

with each other in the event of an emergency situation.

Want Ads: If anyone would know of or be willing to donate the following items

for emergency preparedness projects please notify Venus Phillips at venusmp@

live.com. Needed: cardboard egg cartons and drier lint to make fire starters,

pressure canners or ball canning jars and lids, food grade buckets with lids.

Canning recipes are always welcome as well. We also would like to know who

has chain saws available to help with cutting and storing fuel for next winter.

10. Did anyone bring a couple of umbrellas?9. Hey, there are more than two flies in here. Did anyone remember to pack the fly swatters?8. Wasn’t someone supposed to put two shovels on board?7. Help! I need some Pepto for the elephants, QUICK!6. OK, who’s the wise-guy who brought the mosquitoes on board?5. Don’t make me pull this ark over and come back there!4. No Ham, you cannot eat the Pig!3. And whatever you do, DO NOT pull this plug out.2. If only we had remembered the fishing poles.

And the number one thing

overheard on the Ark is...

1. Are we there yet?

We’ll be on the web soon! Find us at:www.prepare4zion.org

To join the NGZ, contact Janice at: joinNGZ@gmail.com

Neighborhood Groups of Zion Newsletter • May / June 2012

Preparation Humor:

10 Top Things Overhead on Noah’s Ark:

NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPSOFZionZion